


Volume 5

by WhiteravenGreywolf



Series: International Fanworks Day 2018 [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clarke is looking for a gift, Clexa, F/F, International Fanworks Day 2018, Not Canon Compliant, The Tower's library is a mess, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 03:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13695615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf
Summary: With Valentine's Day in a week's time, Clarke needs a gift. She thought she had a good idea when she realized Lexa was missing the last volume of her favorite book series. But of course, when it's a gift for Lexa, it's never that easy to find!





	Volume 5

**Author's Note:**

> Happy International Fanworks Day! With this story, I have completed my challenge of writing and posting three stories for IFD! I hope you'll enjoy it!

**Volume 5**

  
  
Clarke had been wandering through the market for what felt like ages. The February air was freezing her cheeks and numbing her jaw. She wished she was looking for something which would be easy to find, but of course not. It was for Lexa, so of course, it was hard to find. She'd already asked back in the Ark but they had no clue what it was. Books had been a superfluous weight when the station had taken flight, especially when every book ever written in the history of humanity could be contained on a five and a half hard-drives.

  
She was very close to giving up and settling on another gift altogether, but she only had a week left. A week before Valentine's day. It was too short for the blacksmith to make anything besides a toothpick. No, it would have to be a book, and preferably it would have to be this book, this fifth volume of a series Clarke was eighty percent sure was for teenagers, but which had entertained Lexa through most of her time as Heda, and had distracted her from her duties.

  
Clarke had had the ideas while she was sketching Lexa, who was reading for the nth times volume four. Lexa had closed the book before Clarke was done with her sketch, which had made the blond groan:  
"Done already?"  
"Yeah. It's a pretty quick read, you know."  
"But I'm not done yet." she'd complained. "Can't you read the next volume."  
Lexa had shaken her head.  
"I can't. I don't have it."  
"What?"  
"Yeah. I have some of the volumes after that. I mean, at least I think its what's comes after. Literature was very confusing before."  
"Tell me about it."  
Lexa had stood up to look at Clarke's sketch over her shoulder.  
"Hold on, I'll find another book to read."  
She'd placed a peck on Clarke's cheek and left for the shelf full of books in a corner of Heda's room. Clarke had glanced at the book. Was a series about Greek gods in modern time that interesting? She'd picked up the book, quickly opening it to the first few pages. There, she had noticed a list of book titles, under the label 'Books by Rick Riordan'. She had found the first four volumes of the Percy Jackson series, the one she knew Lexa owned, and the name of the fifth volume, barely readable on the old, worn page: 'The Last Olympian'.

  
She had placed the book back on the table before Lexa had returned and had taken her place back on the couch with a new book in hand.  
"You know, I almost considered presenting the Olympians as our new gods."  
Clarke seemed surprised.  
"Really? Why didn't you?"  
"Too complicated. Plus those gods do not seem to know what being faithful means."

* * *

  
  
Clarke returned to the market after she'd double-checked every stand. Not a single one was selling books, which was a shame and a waste of a morning for Clarke. She walked back to the tower, ready to warm up near the hottest fireplace she could find. As she stepped into the elevator, one of the guards declared:  
"There's a messenger waiting inside for you, Wanheda."  
"A messenger from where?"  
"Floukru, Wanheda."  
She nodded. She hadn't expected an answer to arrive from there so suddenly. It could be good like it could be bad, she decided but hoped for the better as the elevator took her up.

  
The messenger was waiting in the hall and jumped to his feet as she walked out of the elevator. He bowed to her and took a piece of parchment out of his pocket.  
"Wanheda."  
She took it and thanked him, and he instantly stepped into the elevator, to return back to Polis. The unrolled the small scroll as she walked toward Heda's bedroom. Lexa would probably still be training the Nightblood at this hour, unaware of Clarke's failure.

  
She quickly read through the paper, her eyes flicking from one word to another. It was from Luna, just as she had expected.  
  
Dear Clarke,  
I'm sorry to inform you that Floukru does not own many books. The one you are looking for is not among them. However, if you are looking for a book in Polis, I would suggest asking Lexa or one of the older nightblood about the book room in the Tower. It is not known by many but it has plenty of books, and you may find what you are looking for.  
Good luck  
Luna.

* * *

  
  
Clarke had to wait after the early afternoon meeting with the ambassadors to approach Aden. Lexa was called upon to assess the extension of the market, which left her out of the Tower long enough, at least Clarke hoped.

  
She found Aden with the other trainees, playing in their room. As soon as she entered some of the younger nightbloods ran up to her, hugging her, happy to see her. She hugged them back with a smile before she looked at Aden.  
"Aden, can I talk to you for a minute."  
He nodded and followed her out of the room. She carefully closed the door behind them and took a few steps away from the door. He followed. Clarke knew the nightbloods were like an army of curious puppies, faithful to their Heda like no one else. If either of them heard what she was asking about Lexa would know before the end of the day.  
"Do you know about a place called the book room?" she asked, her voice hushed.  
He nodded.  
"I do. Why?"  
"I'm trying to find a book, for Lexa. Can you show me where it is?"  
"Sure, but I'm not sure you'll find anything."  
He headed toward the elevator, Clarke behind him. She frowned.  
"Why? Is it completely empty?"  
Knowing her luck, it would be.  
"No. But you'll see."

  
They took the elevator a few levels down, and one of the guards handed Aden a lit lantern before they opened the door. Clarke frowned, curious. Finally, the doors opened. They took a few steps into a dark room, only lit by the elevator light and the lantern. The elevator doors closed, leaving them in relative darkness. Aden walked down a few steps, and with the lantern, he lit a large metal bowl full of half-burned wood. Finally, they were able to see something, though Clarke feared what was in front of her. Stacks upon stacks of books, covering an entire level of the Tower. How many of these books had been placed there, and stacked, and had never fallen, it all seemed like a miracle.  
"It's the book room," Aden explained. "Heda said she used to come here before, but she doesn't have time anymore."  
Clarke was stunned  
"All these books just a few levels under our feet.... Why hasn't anyone taken care of them?"  
Aden shrugged.  
"I don't know. I think the Flamekeeper was supposed to take care of it, but now with Titus dead. I'm not even sure Titus ever did anything about it, actually."  
He left the lantern on a nearby table who shuttered under the weigh.  
"I need to go back up. You'll be fine?"  
"I'll... managed."

* * *

  
  
Clarke spent the next seven days in the book room, going through one pile at a time. Lexa didn't know a thing. She either went when Lexa wasn't at the Tower or made up excuses to disappear downstairs. Sometimes the amount of books to sort through seemed never-ending. At least the piles seemed to have been made conscientiously, though Clarke did not understand under which classification. Why would the first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire be under To Kill A Mockingbird, and under A Wrinkle in Time? More importantly, where were the other  ?

  
Clarke was glad most of the piles didn't reach the ceiling, and the books were still in a relatively good condition, because she would have hated to pull a book, only to feel dust from the ceiling on her face, and find she'd only pulled the cover off the book.

  
All in all, besides the many, many, many spiders occupying the room, the only problem was the sheer amount of books. They were piled for as far as the eye could see, and when she'd brought a flashlight with her, she'd noticed they were going even farther then she'd thought. One too many times she feared one of the piles would fall on her, and bury her under a mountain of books, her remains found one day in two hundred years when an idiot would be looking for a book.

  
In seven days, she was sure she'd cleared at least a hundred piles. She'd stopped counting after fifteen. Still, no sign of The Last Olympian, or any of the Percy Jackson book for that matter. She'd began stacking the books once again behind her because she didn't know what else to do. She wasn't as nimble in stacking as the previous person who'd ventured there, however, and her piles would often fall.

  
She was standing on a borrowed stool, trying to stack books as high as she could, when the elevator doors suddenly opened, and Lexa's voice echoed around the room.  
"Clarke?"  
Clarke placed another book on the pile, and it collapsed to the left, knocking down another pile. She sighed longly before she replied:  
"Here..."  
Lexa walked down the stairs and stopped in front of Clarke. For once, because of the stool, Clarke was towering over Lexa.  
"What are you doing down here?"  
"I'm looking for a book."  
Lexa seemed confused.  
"Aden told me you have down there for a week now. Haven't you found a book which interests you in all this time?"  
Clarke sighed.  
"It wasn't for me. It was for you. I wanted to find the last volume of Percy Jackson for you."  
Lexa smiled lovingly, and took one of Clarke's hands in hers.  
"It's very sweet of you, my love. I have tried before, but this room is like a maze. No one has ever been able to go through it."  
Clarke's gaze went from Lexa's forest green eyes to the dark room around them.  
"It's incredible. Can you imagine all the treasure which could be hidden in here? With a bit of help, we could restore this room. Make it a library again."  
Lexa looked around the room as well.  
"I had never thought about it. Perhaps with a lot of help we could do something here. But in the meantime."  
Lexa bent down and picked up a book on the ground.  
"I will have to read this one instead."  
Clarke looked at the faded cover.  
"Harry Potter. Yeah, it seems nice."

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know about you but I've always wanted to write about a post-apocalyptic library.


End file.
